Republican Lawmakers Are Introducing Numerous Bills Targeted at Transgender Youth

The Republican party is continuing its assault on anyone who’s not a straight, cisgender, white man. Their current target? Kids.

NBC News reports that Republican lawmakers across a dozen states are introducing bills that would essentially criminalize being a transgender youth. Some of the proposed laws would prevent doctors from providing them with gender-related treatment such as hormone therapy and transitional surgery. Other laws would prevent trans youth from participating in school sports with their correct gender. A bill in South Dakota would make medical providers performing operations or administering hormones a felony. A similar bill in Missouri would revoke a doctor’s license if they performed gender-reassignment treatment, and consenting parents would be reported to child-welfare officials for child abuse.

Once again, the Republican party showing how monstrous it can truly be. It’s not enough that they spend as much time as possible making life a nightmare for basically everyone not rich or white; now they’re going after children? Despite recent evidence showing that trans youth are just as certain of their gender identities as cis youth? My bad, I forgot: this is the party that doesn’t believe in science—or even simple decency, for that matter.

There are fears among trans activists as well as parents of trans youth that if these bills go through it could lead to serious damage to the kids. Chase Strangio, a transgender-rights lawyer with the ACLU said: “I cannot imagine what happens to transgender people if these criminal bans pass. I don’t think we can possibly raise the alarm enough, because people are going to die.” Strangio, it should be noted, is a transgender man himself. Dex Rumsey, a transgender 15-year-old boy, had thoughts of suicide before coming out and his parents are worried those thoughts may come back if he can’t have access to his hormones. Given that teenage suicide rates are rising, maybe it isn’t a good idea to draft laws that would likely exacerbate the problem with some of our most vulnerable children.

There is also a push to restrict transgender students from participating in school sports. In Alabama, there is currently a measure called the Gender Is Real Legislative Act (GIRL, because these people are the worst). The GIRL act would bar any K-12 public school from participating in interscholastic sporting events that allow trans students to compete in teams matching their proper gender identity. Bills similar to this one are currently being proposed in Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Washington state. Many of these bills would override the trans-inclusive policies that several high schools have already adopted.

The bills are receiving push back from multiple women’s rights groups and sports organizations who believe forbidding students from sports teams that align with their gender identity would mean that they would be “excluded from participating altogether.”

This shit sucks, y’all. I don’t know any other way to put it. Being a teenager is a tumultuous time off jump. I cannot even fathom the emotional and mental struggle transgender kids must face on a day to day basis. That lawmakers are utilizing their power to exacerbate that struggle and potentially cause harm to these kids is nothing short of cruel.